Letters: Monument brings jobs

Every year, I'm fortunate to meet the most interesting people. They come to southern Utah for one reason: to visit the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. And while they are here, they support small businesses, like mine. I am a business owner because of the national monument.

Every year, I'm fortunate to meet the most interesting people. They come to southern Utah for one reason: to visit the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. And while they are here, they support small businesses, like mine. I am a business owner because of the national monument. It is why I moved here, and why my business continues to grow. Simply put, I have the Grand Staircase-Escalante to thank for my livelihood.

Perhaps the editorial board should have spoken to me before they published, "Limit the power (of the Antiquities Act)" (June 17). Or they could have spoken to the 69 percent of Utahns who believe that the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is good for our state. Perhaps they should have spoken to the 77 percent of voters who agree that protected public lands — like national monuments — help keep good jobs in Utah.

If we would have waited for the slow wheels of Congress to turn, we may have never had this wonderful job creator and outdoor recreation haven. That is why the Antiquities Act is so important to Utah and the whole United States. Without it, my business would not be where it is today, and many would say the same.

Popular Comments

"Why can't we travel I-5 and see California like it was before crass
commercialization turned it into the nation's food supplier?"

Whether you know it or not, you just made the best case for creating these
monuments one
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10:08 a.m. June 22, 2013

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liberal larry

salt lake City, utah

Its amazing how many people in Utah bellyache about the wild lands in Utah being
"locked up" by the federal government. Yet when ever I talk to out of
state friends or family the first thing they mention is their trip to Zion
National Park,
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7:25 a.m. June 22, 2013

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10CC

Bountiful, UT

Ultimately, the struggle about Utah lands comes down to ego. Steve Roberts and
many others find economic opportunities where the historic local powers, like
Mike Noel, see infringement upon their personal agendas.